THE hilly city of Chongqing in south-west China has a very unique topography – it features mountain, rivers, forests, springs, waterfalls, gorges and caves. Intersected by the confluence of the Yangtze and the Jialing River, it is a stop-off point for the famed Yangtze River Cruises and an important shipping waterway. On one hand, it is home to the historical Three Gorges, endearing panda bears and the spicy Hotpot cuisine that can startle even the most jaded of tourist palates. On the other hand, it is a production hub for cars, motorcycles (bike exports account for half of China’s figures), iron, steel, textiles, machinery and electronics.
By 2011, it attracted an estimated $10.8 billion in inward investment, more than Beijing, according to an Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) released in February, which said that Chongqing will become the fourth-largest recipient of FDI in two years, ahead of Shanghai and Tianjin (source: Forbes blog). A record 565,000 tourists visited the city of Yichang in Hubei province during the recent seven-day Spring Festival holiday, said the local tourist office. In the new five-year period, Chongqing will invest $15 billion to promote the development of the tourism industry, according to industry reports from the Chinese Mice (meetings, incentives and exhibitions) sector. Thus it is an ideal choice of a new and exciting destination for both business travellers and families to explore in 2012 and beyond.
This market potential led to Qatar Airways launching nonstop scheduled services to Chongqing end-November 2011. “We had been closely looking at the opportunities that exist in this vast market to provide greater passenger choice and to give both business and leisure travellers more travel options to and from China, where many cities are largely underserved by international airlines,” said chief executive officer Akbar Al Baker. “By entering this market, we have become the only international airline flying westwards from Chongqing, giving easy one-stop access via our Doha hub to destinations across Europe, Middle East, Africa, North America and South America.” The carrier flies thrice-weekly non-stop flights from Doha, and the city was the fifth Chinese destination to join its global network. Additionally, on February 15, Finnair, Finland’s flagship carrier and the country’s largest airline, announced that it will launch a direct route between Helsinki and Chongqing Municipality in May.
Some of the highlights of the city include the famed Dazu rock carvings, Yangrenjie, Ciqikou town, Longmenzhen, the Lesser Three Gorges and Taohuayuan Youyang as well as the Chongqing People´s Great Hall and Chongqing Huguang Guild Hall. The city reportedly has 19 five-star hotels while tripadvisor.com lists 857 hotels for different budgets. For shoppers, the old city is a haven with locals offering delightful treasures. While language is a barrier throughout the city, the people are friendly and don’t hesitate to use sign language. Shopping in Chongqing is a delight for those looking for a bargain. With a calculator and smiles as a medium - it can bring down prices to one-third in smaller malls frequented by locals.
The city will host a series of events concurrently during the Spring Festival (around February), the Hand-Waving festival of Tujia ethnic group (May-June) and the Wuxi Daning River Drifting Festival (July).
By Sona Nambiar